Governments have created Posts for collecting, sorting and distributing the mail. The Post typically charges mailers for delivering the mail. Mailers may pay the Post for its service by purchasing a stamp, i.e., a printed adhesive label, issued by the Post at specified prices that is affixed to all letters, parcels or other mail matter to show prepayment of postage. The placing of one or more stamps on a mail piece is a labor-intensive endeavor. Thus, only individuals, small or home offices, and small businesses, typically use stamps.
Businesses with large mail volumes often use alternate means of evidencing postage. One such means of payment accepted by the Post is mail that is metered by a postage meter. A postage meter is a mechanical or electromechanical device that maintains, through mechanical or “electronic registers” or “postal security devices,” an account of all postage printed, and the remaining balance of prepaid postage; and prints postage postmarks (indicia) or provides postage postmarks (indicia) information to a printer that are accepted by the postal service as evidence of the prepayment of postage.
The United States Postal Service “Post”) currently handles large volumes of such mail, i.e., first class mail, standard A mail, standard B mail, etc., hereinafter referred to as “normal mail”. However, when it comes to special service mail, i.e., priority mail, certified mail, registered mail, etc., the Post uses gummed service stickers and forms to indicate evidence of payment and to process the special service mail. The use of gummed service stickers and completion of forms by hand is time consuming and error prone and hence raises the expense for receiving these services. For example, some special service mail may become mixed with normal mail potentially causing failure for the Post to provide the purchased service. To better ensure that the service is rendered, some services, e.g., certified mail, require the mailer to physically deliver the mail piece to the Post.
Mail of both of the abovementioned types may be posted at the Post, deposited in a Post mail drop, a street mail drop or any other Post receptacle. Special services mail should be expeditiously handled by the Post and should only be transported with other special service mail. Unfortunately, since special service mail and normal mail may use the same induction points, special service mail may be co-mingled with regular mail as mentioned earlier. Thus, the Post has to extract special service mail from regular mail. If the special service mail is not properly identified, the special service mail will travel with regular mail and may be delivered with regular mail without the special service requested by the sender, that is, the party paying for the special service may not receive the special service.
A disadvantage of the prior art is that once a special service mail piece is accepted by the Post or other carrier and placed in a tray or bag, the Post or other carrier has limited means for determining the current location of the special service mail piece.
Another disadvantage of the prior art is that the carrier is not able to determine the location of misdirected mail until the mail is delivered to the delivery Post or delivery office. Rerouting the mail to the correct delivery Post or delivery office is time consuming and expensive.